as the curtains close
by BeautifulxButterflies
Summary: He still hears her screams in his sleep and sometimes he can't breathe/Chad Centric, Channy.


**Don't hate on the OC, i already did that for you ;) Gah, i really don't like this. It's been ages since i did a SWAC fic. And they're all on my other account. But, All the same.**

**Disclaimer: All i own is Caterina. And I don't own her anymore considering what i do to her. Gah, I'm a terrible human being.**

"Did you just hit me?"

He looks up at his sister, and rolls his eyes. "I'm not that immature, Cat."

"Yes, you really are." She says with a grin, hoisting the next bag of her things up and dumping the contents in her drawer. "Now, can you go help the movers with the sofa? They almost scratched it when they put it in the truck."

"I'm nothing but an enabler," He teases, and leaves do to just that.

.

.

.

Sonny decides that he needs a vacation. He decides that she's spending too much time at the falls.

"Come on, Chad! All this work is blowing your head up to the size of the giant meatball Nico and Grady made!"

"That meatball was dangerously large." He says pensively, and then sighs.

"Exactly! Chad, you need to-"

"When did you become my wife?" He asks tiredly.

"Fine, I'll just go then!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

Sonny looks hurt for a moment, and then she stomps off angrily. He rubs his temples, and watches her leave painfully. He's never been good at this, he's too cocky and moody for his own good.

.

.

.

"Chad..."

He doesn't look up from his book, he's too annoyed at what happened with Sonny, he doesn't feel like talking to Cat. "Not now."

"Chad!" Her voice is more urgent, panicked almost. He looks up irritably.

"What?-" He stares.

"It won't stop!" She hisses, holding the cloth to the cut on her arm, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder as she pressed harder, expecting the blood flow to stop, but it just kept bleeding out, and she was going paler with each passing second.

"Oh my Chad," He breathes, and pulls out his cell, dialling 911. "I need an ambulance, My sister-She's bleeding really bad-Oh God, I-Yeah, the address is..."

.

.

.

He can't think at work the next day. Everything is just a blur of, "A little to the left, the Camera can't get your hair," And "Oh, Mackenzie, how will I live without you?"

His heart hurts. It's not a real problem, but he feels the pain hit him like a ton of bricks. He's scared. He's scared that Cat's sick, really sick. He's scared that she'll never flip her hair over her shoulders and wink at his cast mates, or flutter those green eyes at the director to get him time off like she did all the time.

He's scared he's going to lose her. Just like their parents. And then he'll lose Sonny too. And everyone else he'll ever care about.

"Chad? You okay?"

"What do you care?" He snarks. Sonny slides into the seat behind him, and grabs his hand.

"I hate it when you're sad," She shrugs, and that easy smile spreads on her face. "I guess," She blushes, and grins. "Unless i've caused it. Because then it's awesome."

He finds enough effort to smile back, and for a moment it's all too real.

.

.

.

"Are you family?"

"Yes, I'm her brother."

"Name?"

"Oh my god. I'm Chad Dylan Cooper! You know, Mackenzie Falls?"

"Never heard of it-But it checks out."

"Someone shoot me now." He grumbles. Because everyone should know him by now, he's famous, right?

He's not sure of much any more, but that was one of the one stable things in his life.

"Your sister has Haemophilia."

"Which is?" He asks sharply, holding back his frustration. His fists clench and he grits his teeth.

"It's a genetic disease," The nurse says gently, holding her clip board to her chest uncomfortably. "The blood fails to clot, resulting in non-stop bleeding, easy bruising, haemorrhages, internal bleeding, intercranial-"

"Okay, whatever, what have you done about it?" He asks impatiently. In truth, he didn't understand a word she just said, but he understands why she wouldn't stop bleeding now.

"We've given her a blood transfusion, but...It's a very severe case, Mr. Cooper. She's going to have to be very careful. We're doing our best to treat it."

"Will she be okay?"

"If all goes smoothly, Yes."

"Can I go see her?"

"Visiting hours are over, but they begin again at ten tomorrow."

.

.

.

"You still look really down, Chad."

"Sure I do," He says cheerfully. "Didn't you hear? Our ratings are through the roof. We beat So Random. Again."

"Something's up." She decides. "Wanna talk about it?"

"The ratings? Yup. _So Random!_'s rating went down over the _weekend_. Bet that hurts."

"Chad, you know what I meant."

"Do I, Sonny? Do I _really_?"

"Yes, you do, Chad! _Really_!"

"I don't think so."

"I do."

"I don't."

"I do."

"Enough!" Tawni groans. "The two of you are so annoying! GO fight somewhere else!"

.

.

.

"If I have to eat one more of these Jello things, I'll die."

"Don't joke about that, Cat."

"What's up your ass?" She chuckles, distracting herself from her I.V. She'd never been a fan of them, and she'd almost ripped it out several times already.

"Nothing." He mutters irritably.

"Ooh, it's Sonny, isn't it? You like her!" She smirks the familiar Cooper smirk, but it doesn't look right on her too-pale face.

"No." He says indignantly.

"It_ is_?" She gasps. "Tell me!"

"There's nothing to tell. She's stupid. And cute."

"Chad's in love," She draws out, laughing happily.

In that single moment, Chad hates her. He hates how she can forget about the disease. Forget that she might die, if they can't treat it. And he hates that he can't forget it, no matter how hard he tries.

"I am not, She's just cute is all, but-"

She drops her Jello, and swears.

"I'll get it," He says quickly, but it's too late, she's already leaning and the bar on the bed is pressing into her stomach and she's falling and hitting the ground hard, and all he can do is yell for a nurse.

She screams so much that he wants to go deaf just to hear the silence.

.

.

.

"...Oh, Chad."

Sonny watches him carefully, and pulls him into a hug finally.

"How'd you hear?" He says neutrally, pain hidden behind his eyes.

"Mr. Condor let us all know. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well." He mutters numbly. It's better than the others who spoke to him, he's actually talking back this time.

"Chad, if you ever want to talk..." She leaves the offer hanging, but looks at him with those big brown doe eyes, begging him to accept.

"I..." His face twists, pained. "I, will."

"Thanks, Chad."

.

.

.

"I hate you." He says, when he finally gathers the courage to visit her grave. "I hate you so much."

He waits, almost as If expecting an answer, but he knows he won't get one. He swallows back the tears.

"If you had just let me get that cup, you wouldn't have fallen. You're so stupid." He takes a deep breath, looks up. "I don't even know if you can hear me now, but whatever. It must've hurt a lot. They said inter-cranial bleeding, when you hit your head. What does that even mean?"

His throat is dry and he can see her laughing at him, and calling him a spaz in his head. "I don't hate you." He finally relents. "I miss you. I don't know what to do any more. I'll work, I guess. I loose everyone, though. Sonny'll be next. I don't know if I can handle that too, Cat. I just don't know."

.

.

.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"My mom's home," She warns, stepping aside.

He just nods. "Look," He says when he's passed the threshold.

"Shh!" She pouts. "Not in here," She gestures to her very curious Mom sitting on the couch.

"Hi, Connie." Chad says quickly. Sonny ushers him out of the room. "Bye Connie!"

"What is it?" She asks, shutting the door to her bedroom. "Did you come to talk about-you know?"

"Yes. No. Sort of." He scratches the back of his neck unsurely.

"Uh...Right." She blinks, that adorable confused look on her face. "Okay?"

"I loved her. She was my sister, of course I did," He says the last bit to himself, and then looks at her, and she notices his red eyes.

"Do you-"

She's cut off by her Mom's voice through the door.

"I'm checking on you two in five minutes!"

"Mom!" Sonny gasps, her face turning red.

Chad smiles a little at the blush. "I like you. I like you a lot, and even if I lose you, at least you'll know that."

She's turning redder every second. "I like you too," She squeaks, tucking her hair behind her ear, smiling widely, and almost bouncing on the spot.

"Good."

"Good." She agrees.

"Fine." He inches closer.

"Fine."

They kiss. It's not fireworks, it's not the world exploding, it's just, a kiss. And to be honest he's not that good at it.

But it's right.

It's the only stable thing in his life, now.

It's the best thing in his life, now.

**.**

**GAHAAAAHH. I don't want to sound like a review whore or anything but...**

**Reviews? PLeeaaase? :3**


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